Civil War Research Paper

Submitted By Nytoonice
Words: 741
Pages: 3

Ny Onas U.S History\Pd.3
May 24th, 2012 Essay

Causes Of The Civil War

Introduction

The Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865, and led to about 618,000 deaths. Civil war was very devastating for the Untied States. Civil War had some bad things to it and some good come out of it. In the end the Civil War was what really brought America together. Many things led to The Civil War. The Fugitive Slave Act, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott Decision, and Harper’s Ferry. Those were all causes to the Civil War.

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Passed as part of the Compromise of 1850. This act enforced the law of returning any runaway slaves; if the runaway slave was not returned you would be forced to pay a fine. When the south was holding slaves, people disagreed with the idea. If you did not return the slave you would be fined 1,000 dollars. Law officials were allowed to accuse and arrest any one suspected of being a runaway slave. A slave could not ask for a jury trail or testify. This was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850; this made abolitionists try even harder to stop slavery. The Fugitive Slave Act causes a lot more Underground Railroad activity. The slaves fled to Canada.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin Being Released

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852. Will Kaufman said “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War”. (Weinstein, Cindy, The Cambridge Companion to Harriet Beecher Stowe, Cambridge University Press, 2004.) Harriett Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist trying to get people to understand the issue of slavery. After Uncle Tom’s Cabin was released, it shocked the South and upset them; they felt like it was a personal attack on them. It was a best selling novel of the 19th century. It sold 300,000 copies in the Untied States, and one million copies in Great Britain. It really helped open peoples eyes to who didn’t know much about the issue.

Bleeding Kansas

The Kansas-Nebraska act in 1854 shocked the northerners. Kansas Nebraska act allowed both states to vote on weather knowing they wanted to free slave states. They used sovereignty. Within their Kansas, there was controversy. Half of the people in Kansas wanted to be a slave state and the other half did not want it to be a slave state. They used violence to express their feelings about the issue. The violence that happened in response to the Kansas Nebraska Act was only a taste of what was to come with the civil war. On May 21st, 1856 Charles Sumner was attacked. He was attacked with a cane, after giving a speech to the pro-slavery force.

Dred Scott Decision Dred Scott was a slave in the United States who tried to stand up for himself